Form for making crates



R. MILLER.

FORM FOR MAKING GRATES.

(No Model.)

Patented Sept. 18, 1883'.

v c C 9 Mk p ing confined to the sides.

HNITED STATES RODOLPHUS MILLER, OF LANSING, TOMPKINS COUNTY; NEW YORK.

FORM FOR MA KING cRATEs.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 285,053, dated September18, 1883.

Application filed. May 4. 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RoDoLPHUs MILLER,of Lansing, (Post Office, NorthLansing,) Tompkins county, New York, have made an Improvement in theConstruction of Crates for Potatoes and like Articles, of whichthefollowing is a specification, reference being made to theaccompanying drawings.

a My object is to make a measuring and packing cr'ate with the leastlabor. For this purpose,havin g cut the lumber of which the crates aremade, and constructed an improved block or center piece the size andshape and capacity of the crates, I nail them together about the blockto which my invention mainlyre lates, as will be apparent as I describeit.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my block standing on its lower end orbottom. Fig. 2 is a partially-transverse section near the lower metallicclamp of Fig. 1, but the ends are not, like the sides, cut in section,the section be- Fig. 3 is a per pendicular reversed orbottom-side-upward perspective view of a crate finished and removed fromthe block, the size for a bushel of potatoes, as fitted for packing incars, cellars, and other places, and the detached parts seen in thefigures are identified by their letters.

In the figures, a is the block or central piece about which the cratesare made, having the corners b beveled and fitted with iron platcs g,which are made the width, or nearly so, of the beveled corners, and arefast on these corners. They serve as clinching-plates to the nails usedin fastening the slats d to the sides and ends of the crate. In Fig. 1four clamps, c, are seen about the corners b, and in Fig. 2 they areshown tightened by wedges c, which fit into metallic sockets f, and actboth as wedgesand as studs to tighten and hold the clamps. Thesewedgestuds go through apertures in the ends of the clamps. Their use isto hold wooden posts or cleats m of the crates, which posts are madetriangular in shape, as seen in the corners I), Fig. 2. The constructionof the block or center piece is seen in Fig. 2to be by pieces ofhard-wood plank two inches thick, or other suitable thickness, which arebolted on the posts j, thus leaving the cen-, ter hollow. These planksare plain on their sides and edges, except that grooves 7L are cut inthe end planks, and are to receive the bottom cleats, i. (Seenin Fig. bydotted lines, to be inside of the inverted crate.) Metallic sockets fare bolted" fast in the side planks, as shown, in which are the wedgese. The lumber used consists of the crate-posts m, slats d, (two or threewidths,) bottom cleats, i, and the packing-cleats a, so attached to thecrates that they fit each into the crate below when several crates areset one on the other in cars, cellars, or other places; and for thispurpose the cleats n, as seen in Fig. 3, are set back alitt-le way fromthe ends of the crate, and their ends cut to fit the triangular posts ofthe crate, thus making a fitting of the bottom of one crate to the topof the one below it, the cleats prevent ing displacement, as well asmaking the fitting of one crate to another. The crates being madeexactly alike, any one or all fit any or all others in this manner.

To construct a crate I turn the block a 011 one end and place loosely011 it two clampsas, for example, 0 cthen slide into the cor ners b 1)two triangular erateposts, and put in and drive the wedges c e of theseclamps, which renders the posts fast. I then nail on the end slats. ThenI turn the block the other end up and repeat the same thing on the otherend of the block, having placed a bottom cleat, i, in each of thegrooves h h and nailed them fast to each end. bottom up and nail on thebottom slats, (seen upward in Fig. 3,) then complete the crate bynailing on the sides. \Vhen the crate is done, it readily leaves theblocks as soon as the wedges release the clamps. Spaces 8 are betweenthe side and the end slats, which are fixed by the wedges which fastenthe clamps, and thus, there being in the drawings but four slats shownon the sides and ends, these clamps adjust the position of all theslats. The ends a a", Fig. 2, I repeat, are full height, and not out insection, in order that the recesses h h may be seen on the outside edgesof the end planks. The same thing is also seen at h in the detachedfigures. The other detached figures need no explanation, and all otherparts, as well as those briefly explained, are believed to be fullyapparent. The intention is to use these crates as convenient and usefularticles in the field gathering potatoes, and in I now turn the vehiclesin their transportation, as holders in cellars and other like places, inthe cars or other public conveyances to market, and for their exhibitionon sale, and as packages to be sold, potatoes and crate both, for whichpurposes they will be found convenient and novel in handling this crop.

I am aware that crates or slatted boxes have long been in use forreceptacles and as vessels for transportation. I am also fully awarethat blocks and center pieces for use in the construction of variousarticles have long been in use. These I do'not claim 5 but \Vhat I doclaim as my invention is- '1. A block about which the crates areconstructed, provided with beveled corners, on which the triangularcorner-posts of the crate are held by metallic clamps, while the sideand end slats of the crates are nailed to the posts, said clamps beingtightened on the said posts by wedge-shaped studs which are driven intosockets in the sides of the block, as shown and described.

2. The block with beveled corner clamps, wedge-shaped studs, andsockets, when further combined with recesses in the ends of the base ofthe block, which are made for and contain the bottom cleats or supports,while the bottom slats are nailed to the side slat-s and cleats, as setforth.

3. In the block,the metallic facing of the beveled corners, sockets, andcleat-seats, in combination with the clamps, wedge-studs, sock- -ets,triangular posts, bottom cleats, and slats,

whereby exactness of construction and clinching of the nails used ishad, as set forth.

RODOLPHUS MILLER. Witnesses:

S. J. PARKER, R. MILLER.

